


A Midsummer Night's Dream (to change a life)

by wavydanrises



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: A Midsummer Night's Dream - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, I'm bad with tags, M/M, Original Character(s), Strangers to Friends, Theater - Freeform, Theatre, drinking mentions, they're actors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 13:53:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11647890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wavydanrises/pseuds/wavydanrises
Summary: Dan Howell is a rising star in theatre, Phil Lester is an actor acclaimed by the audience and the critique. They both get a role in the same play.





	A Midsummer Night's Dream (to change a life)

To say that Dan was nervous would be an understatement. He looked up at the building in front of people, half convinced that it was all a dream. A wonderful dream, sure, but still not reality. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. No, that was real. And he earned it. He looked back at the theatre in front of him and couldn’t fight the smile off of his face.

He had been ecstatic for a week, since he had received the call telling him that he had the role he had auditioned for.

And of course he immediately went to his flatmate, Luka, to scream and rant about how happy he was  _to get to play bloody Lysander, do you realize I’m actually going to be in A Midsummer Night’s Dream I can’t I’m going to die_. And, yeah, Luka might’ve kicked him out of the living room for a bit when he became too annoying, before leaving to see his girlfriend and complaining that Dan's enthusiasm was too loud. Really, Dan had issues understanding how he couldn’t see how much of an amazing opportunity it was for him. Not to mention the play was brilliant, and it was the one that truly helped him realize that it was what he wanted to do with his life. Granted, his parents weren’t too happy with his choice but they let him try anyway, and helped him however they could. And now, there he was. He had to call his mum at the end of the day, he promised.

He was dragged out of his thoughts by someone bumping into his shoulder, making him jump a little.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” They said. “I should pay more attention to where I’m going. Wait, you’re Daniel Howell, aren’t you?”

Dan looked up to the person talking and lost all capacity of forming words. Because it was  _Phil Lester_  talking to him, and that guy was a genius actor and  _ohmygod why does he know who I am_. It took him a few seconds to be able to talk again.

“Yeah- Yeah, that’s me. I, uh, I guess you were heading to the theatre? Ok that was a stupid question, rehearsal starts in 30 minutes, sorry, I promise I’m better at saying my lines,” Dan grimaced.

He was two seconds away from hitting himself in the face, god why was he such an awkward person? As an actor, you would’ve thought he would’ve learned how to talk to people without fumbling with his words constantly. Although, Phil was also ridiculously pretty so you couldn’t entirely blame him for being a bit of a mess.

“Don’t worry,” Phil smiled. “I’ve heard a few good things about your acting, but I guess we’ll see how it goes, we have a couple scenes together anyway.”

“Wait, I thought you were going to be Oberon?”

“Nah, that’s what was planned initially but I was re-cast as Demetrius in the end so, this is going to be interesting. We should get going by the way, or we’re going to be late.”

“Yeah, you’re right, let’s go then.”

*

The theatre was huge. Like, really. It was by far the biggest stage on which Dan had ever stood, and he was just a little bit scared. Yeah, just a little bit. All the actors were standing on the stage, in a semicircle. The director, PJ, had managed to bring together quite a unique cast, and Dan couldn’t wait to start working with them. He was the youngest, everyone else being at least 3 or 4 years older than him, but he didn’t mind. It had been the same everywhere, and that had caused him to miss a few good roles in the past. He looked around him, trying to remember the name and part of everyone else.

He was at one end of the semicircle, and directly in front of him was Riley, who played Hermia. He could definitely remember her name because, she was an amazing actress, and she never let the fact that she was an openly trans black woman stop her from achieving her dreams. Dan had followed her career with a lot of attention, and he had nearly screamed when he had learned she would be playing Hermia. Next to her was Phil, and Dan was seriously wondering how he would not mess up his lines while playing with these two because  _holy shit_  they were awesome. And both were really pretty as well. Someone save him.

Dan was almost sure the guy after Phil was named Andy, and he was playing Oberon. According to what Phil had told him earlier, Andy was cast as Demetrius at first, but when Phil had asked to be Demetrius instead he had agreed to take Oberon’s part. Dan didn’t know much about him, but he was looking forward to seeing him on stage even though they didn’t really get to share it.

The actress playing Titania had introduced herself as Elea earlier, Helena was played by Lily, but Dan hadn’t heard a lot about them. The last person he could remember the name of was Eidan, who played Puck. Dan had followed their progression closely after seeing them play in a small theatre next to where he lived. He got to talk to them a few times, and they explained how they were nonbinary but prefered to play masculine parts when they got the chance. They were really good on stage as well, and Dan was thrilled to have a chance to be here with them.

After the small introduction session organized by PJ where Dan learned the names of the rest of the cast and crew - even if he knew he would forget everything very shortly -, PJ explained how he saw the play, and already gave some directions to everyone. After that, they were all sent to the makeup artists and the costume designers to determine what should be changed from the original plans for each characters. Dan went up to the box of Louise, slightly relieved that we got to work with someone he already knew for other plays, and who was actually his friend. She stood up from her seat with a smile and pulled him into a hug.

“Isn’t that our splendid Lysander! Don’t worry about a thing dear, I have a few great ideas for you, you’re going to love this. Sit down, will you? Now, how are you feeling? It’s a big one, isn’t it?”

“I’m freaking out Louise, you have no idea. Like, have you seen who’s there as well? I’m going to die before we’re even done here, oh god. Honestly though, I have scenes with Riley and Phil, and I don’t know a lot about Lily but I bet she’s awesome too and I’m so going to fuck this up, why did I think that was a good idea.”

She let him finish with a smirk, before lightly hitting his shoulder. “Daniel Howell, if you start with this mindset, you’re going to regret it. Man, you’re living the dream: the cast is great and full of people you look up to, and trust me the crew is awesome too, you’re going to have a great time working with everyone. Don’t get yourself in such a state over nothing, I know you’re scared of disappointing them but the most important thing is that you give everything you have. Come on, I’ve seen you on stage before and you’re brilliant. Trust me, you got this.”

Dan smiled, his cheeks slightly warmer than usual.

“Thanks, Louise.”

“No problem dear. Now, let’s get to work.”

* * *

“ _Why should you think that I should woo in scorn?_  
Scorn and derision never come in tears:  
Look, when I- ah fuck, that’s not right.”

Dan sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the wall. He’d been rehearsing his lines way more than usual, it was only the first few days and he was already a bundle of nerves. This was… so much bigger than any play he’d been a part of, and he  didn’t want to screw it up. He didn’t talk to Louise about it anymore because, as well meaning as she was, she wouldn’t understand why he put himself under so much pressure. Because yes, even he knew the critics were always quite good (and read to him by his over-excited mum over the phone, he wouldn’t have the guts to read them himself), and logically he shouldn’t mess this up. But hey, who said logic had anything to do with it?

“It isn’t half bad, you know.”

Dan jumped at the voice and managed to hit his head against the wall. He cracked an eye open to see Phil smiling apologetically, and sat up.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?” Phil asked, an eyebrow raised in concern.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been here?”

Phil sat down on the bench, next to him. “Not too long, I was about to leave but I heard you talking.” He pointed at the script he was holding. “We’ve done improv all afternoon, haven’t you had enough? Or do you just want to get to the real play already?”

Dan shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I just- I don’t want to screw up and disappoint everybody, you know?” He glanced up at Phil, who seemed surprised. “What, do I look like an arrogant prick who thinks I’m better than everyone else?”

Phil laughed. “Well, kinda. I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” he added when he saw Dan’s falsely offended look. “It’s just, you know, you’re kinda really good, and especially for your age. But yeah, I know it doesn’t always make sense. You’ll get there, though! Anything I could do to help? I could go over your lines with you, if you want.”

“Really? I mean, you really don’t have to, I don’t want to bother you and I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Hey, we’re a team remember? I don’t mind at all, and a bit of extra work for my part too would be good. And it’ll be easier to work together than individually.”

“Thank you,” Dan said with a smile. “A lot.”

“No problem, honestly. Although, this room is a bit creepy - how did you even end up here? Wait, I don’t want to know. I’ll be staying a bit later tomorrow, I have to talk to PJ, I’ll meet you at the coffee shop down the street? It’ll probably be more comfortable there.”

“That works for me. I'll see you tomorrow then? I should get going before my flatmate locks me out,” Dan joked. “And thank you again.”

“Yeah let's not get you locked outside. Bye, Dan.”

*

The chill air of September hit him when he opened the theatre’s door and stepped outside. He could barely believe what just happened. Of course, Phil couldn't just be talented and pretty as hell, he had to be incredibly nice as well. Honestly, he shouldn't even be allowed to exist, that was quite simply totally unfair for all the other normal people just trying to survive down there. Going over lines with Phil was kind of like a childhood dream coming true, he thought. He'd been looking up to him for years, since one of his first plays when he was 17 and Dan was 13. He really had been one of Dan’s biggest motivation to keep playing - not that he would ever admit it if he asked him, he still had a bit of pride left.

He opened his flat’s door, hearing noise coming from the living room. Luka was probably watching TV again.

“I'm back,” Dan called out. “Sorry I'm late, stayed a bit longer than I thought. Have you eaten yet?”

“Hey man, I ate with Lea, but there's food in the kitchen,” Luka answered, probably without moving from the sofa.

“Thanks.”

Dan ate quickly on the kitchen counter, noting that he should clean a bit before leaving tomorrow. Luka certainly wouldn't do it before his classes, and that was starting to get a little too messy.  Not that Dan was an example of tidiness, far from it actually, but he did have his limits. He let himself fall on the couch a few minutes later.

“So, how was rehearsal?” Luka asked without looking away from the TV screen. “You're there for hours, I dunno how you're not sick of it after all these years. I don't think I've ever understood how you could just sit there and recite the same sentences for hours without your brain giving up.”

“You're studying hours of history every day, jeez I wonder which one of us should really be bored,” Dan countered. “But it was good, we mostly did improv again and I think I'm really getting the hang of it. More than Andy anyway, he's even more panicky than me. Probably because he has one of the biggest roles, though, so I get it. Oh by the way, don't wait for me tomorrow either, Phil offered to help with my lines after rehearsal, and I know you like to eat early so…”

Luka nodded. “Ok, works for me. Might ask Lea if she wants to watch a movie or something, then.”

Dan had known Luka since highschool and, somehow, they'd stuck together until now. It wasn't like they were best friends or anything, but he was looking for a flatmate when Dan needed a place to stay, and there they were again. Dan was thinking of moving out though, but he hadn't had time to look more into it. Living with someone for a while was tiring, and Luka wasn't exactly the best flatmate either, not to mention he always had some disagreeable comments, and honestly Dan could do without those. Dan told himself that after this play was over, he would start looking for another place to stay, before things ended with a fight here.

“Anyway, I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow,” Dan said as he stood up and started walking to his room.

Luka all but nodded again.

* * *

“ _Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander, yield  
Thy crazed title to my certain right._ ” Phil was amazing as Demetrius, and if Dan didn't know better, he would've thought he was really mad at him.

“ _You have her father's love, Demetrius;  
Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him?_ ”

“Okay, let's stop here for now!” PJ called out from the audience's seats. “You're good guys, Dan that was great by the way good job on that one, careful Riley you're almost in front of him, try either standing behind him and take a few steps or just stay here but stand back a bit? Yes like that, perfect!”

Dan saw Phil discreetly giving him a thumbs up from the other side of the stage, and he smiled a little. That was the part they'd rehearsed the day before, at Dan's request. Phil had tried telling him that it was alright, he had it, but Dan wouldn't listen. Phil had just shaken his head with a smile, and started again. They'd been doing this for about a week, he was starting to get used to how Dan wouldn't believe he was ready until he felt like he has practiced enough.

“Also, Dan, Phil,” PJ spoke up again. “I love that gay vibe you're giving to it, but either tone it down or all the way up, this kind of tension is oddly frustrating.”

Phil laughed. “I can't tone it down, I am the gay vibe. But sorry, I'll try my best. That's on me.”

PJ laughed with him before sitting down in his seat. “Whatever you say man, just do your thing. Dan, careful on the pronunciation sometimes but the tone is great, keep it up.”

* * *

Dan stepped outside, turning around to close the theatre’s door behind him.

“Hey,” said someone out of the blue, making him jump.

He looked over his shoulder to see Phil laughing.

“Fucking hell Phil, I'm too young to die from a heart attack.” He said, a hand on his heart for dramatic effect.

Phil only laughed harder, his breath coming out in white puffs in the cold air of November.

“Sorry, I’d say I didn’t mean to scare you but, honestly I counted on that a little. It’s still early, It’s only 6, do you want to do something? The café is closed today though, so maybe you'd rather just go home instead of slowly freezing to death.”

“No, I mean. Uh. I don't have anything planned and my flatmate isn't there for once so, we could always hang out at my place? Not that I don't want you to meet Luka but I'm not sure he would appreciate a random rehearsal in the living room- oh god I'm rambling again aren't I, sorry.”

Phil smiled and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you don't have to apologize. What do you want to do then?”

“Let's get going, if you want? It's a bit of a walk but it's not far from here, we should survive the cold. Hopefully.”

“And on we goooo,” Phil sung, dramatically leading the way after grabbing Dan’s wrist. “Wait,” he said after a couple steps. “Is this the right direction?”

“Absolutely not,” Dan chuckled. “You’re going to get us lost, just follow me.”

“Yes captain!”

*

“ _What's this to my Lysander? where is he?_  
Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?” Dan exclaimed, a hand over his heart and his head thrown back.  
  
“ _I had rather give his carcass to my hounds._ ” Phil scoffed, turning to look away -most definitely to hide the smile growing on his lips.  
  
“ _Out, dog! out, cur! thou drivest me past the bounds_  
Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him, then?  
Henceforth be never number'd among men!  
O, once tell true, tell true, even for my sake!  
Durst thou have look'd upon him being awake,  
And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave touch!  
Could not a worm, an adder, do so much?  
An adder did it; for with doubler tongue  
Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung.”

Phil waved his hand to make him stop  and sat on the couch, laughing too much to be able to talk.

“You’d make… a terrible Hermia, Dan, oh god please stop.”

Dan burst out laughing and let himself fall next to him.

“Oh dear, guess I’ll never get the part of my dreams, huh?” He paused for a few seconds. “ I have no idea how you even stay focused on your part, like, that’s not fair, I was genuinely trying there.”

“Aw that’s cute, you weren’t even close to getting me to fail though. Anyway, your flat is quite nice. Who did you tell me you’re you sharing it with?”

“Luka, he’s a friend from high school. It’s not as if we’re best friends or anything but at least we don’t actively want to kill each other so, that’s a start.

“Pretty good start, yeah,” Phil smiled.

A few moments passed, the silence only disturbed by the cars and traffic from the road beneath the widows.

“Pizza?” Dan asked out of the blue.

“Sounds like a plan. Movie?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dan repeated. “I pick the pizzas, you pick the movie?”

“Deal.”

*

“What the fuck, Dan?”

Dan opened his eyes with difficulty, lifting his head up from whatever he had fallen asleep on. Why the hell was he asleep on the couch? And why was Luka looking at him as if he’d grown a second head?

“What time is it?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s 2am. And who the fuck is this?”

Dan looked to his left and -oh, okay. He had fallen asleep on Phil’s shoulder, apparently.

“Ah shit. That’s uh, that’s Phil, you know, the guy from rehearsal I told you about?”

“Oh  _that_ guy,” Luka said, taking another look at him.

“Yeah, so like, I told you he helped me go over my lines after rehearsals.” Dan yawned. “Sorry. So the café was closed so we came here and we watched that fucking movie I never remember the name of and I guess we just fell asleep - how did your day go?”

“Fine. Now wake him up so he can leave.”

Dan frowned. “What? Dude, it’s 2 am, I’m not just going to throw him out. Go to sleep, I’ll handle it.”

Luka shook his head but walked away. Dan was standing up when he spoke up again.

“Dan? You’re not gay, are you?”

His heart felt tight all of a sudden, and the room started spinning.

“No, I’m not. Why?”

He wondered if that counted as a lie. Or if Luka could hear the blood rushing in his ears. The answer to both of these was probably “no”,  but he wasn’t all that confident anyway.

“Nothing. G’night.”

Luka walked out of the room, and Dan waited a few seconds before reaching out for Phil’s shoulder and shaking him lightly.

“Hey, Phil. Come on, wake up.”

It took a couple more minutes before Phil opened his eyes.

“Dan ?”

“Welcome back to reality,” he smiled. “Now get up, you’re going to fuck up your neck and your voice sleeping like that, and PJ is going to murder me.”

“What time ‘s it?” He let Dan pull him up to his feet.

“2 am. Luka woke me up like 10 minutes ago. Come on, I’m letting you my room. Sheets are clean, changed them this morning, you’re lucky.”

“No,” Phil shook his head. “Not fair. I’m staying on the couch.”

“Like hell you are. No arguing, we’re both too tired for that. Down the hallway, second door on the right. Sweats and stuff in the wardrobe, you can take whatever you want.”

“C’mon, at least we can share your bed, it’s not fair to make you sleep on the couch.”

Any other day, Dan would’ve maybe agreed to that because the couch wasn’t exactly comfortable, but certainly not after that encounter with Luka.

“No, don’t worry about that, I don’t mind. Won’t be the first time I sleep on the couch anyway. Alright, see you tomorrow, then.”

Phil reached out to give him a quick hug. “Yeah. Goodnight Dan.”

“Goodnight Phil.”

*

Dan stumbled in the kitchen, wrapped in the blanket he found covering him when he woke up.

“Morning, sunshine,” Phil chuckled.

“Shhh. It’s too early. Don’t tell me you’re a morning person.”

“I’m really not, I just already had coffee. I’ll make you one, hold on.”

“That explains it,” Dan nodded. “Honestly, that just would’ve been a proof of you not being human at this point. It’d be so unfair.”

“I’m very much human, rest assured. Also your coffee machine is the weirdest thing, how do you even figure it out in the morning? Luka showed me, thankfully, but honestly how did you both survive?”

Dan laughed.

“It’s super old, and he’s the one who brought it. I think his mum had it and gave it to him and she bought a better working one? I dunno, I just figured well, if it’s making coffee, that’s all I need. Thanks,” he added as he took the cup Phil was handing him.

“Yeah, makes sense. Why would you get something else to do the exact same thing, but slightly better, right?”

“Exactly. Now you get it.”

He deemed enough time had passed and he should be able to drink his coffee without getting burned. They both kept silent for a while, before Phil’s phone went off.

“Ah crap, I forgot I was supposed to call my mum yesterday -thanks for letting me borrow a charger by the way- I’m going to take this, sorry,” Phil said as he started to walk out of the room.

“No, no, no problem at all, go ahead. I’m just going to take a shower anyway.”

Phil smiled at him and answered his phone.

“Hey mu- come on, I’m fine, I just forgot-”

Dan smiled and drank the rest of his coffee. He should probably call his parents too, at some point. It had been a little while. He got up and put his cup in the sink. Phil came back just before he left the room.

“Hey, I'm gonna head home without rehearsal, I don't live that far actually. I'll see you in about 2 hours, I guess?”

“Yep, alright, that'll probably be easier,” Dan smiled. “See you in a bit then.”

“Yeah! A shame I won't get to see you play Hermia though, that was the highlight of my day.”

Dan laughed and shook his head, pointing at the door.

“Get out of here instead of making fun of me, you're a terrible person.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, darling,” Phil replied before heading to the door. “Bye!”

The door close and the flat was awfully quiet all of a sudden, despite the cars and alarms going off just outside. Dan sighed. Suddenly, this felt weird. He was usually the first one to be awake, and the fact that he hadn't talked to Luka since his remark the night before was almost making him feel sick. The simple thought of the look on his face when he asked that was enough to make Dan shudder. If anything, it was only encouraging him in his idea to move out quickly.

He stayed by the sink for a few more minutes, turning all this around in his brain, before sighing again and going to take a shower. Man, that was all too complicated for his liking.

* * *

“Hey dude, what are you doing here by your lone self? I thought everyone was gone.”

Dan looked up to see Eidan sitting on the floor next to him.

“I don't know. Just… thinking, I guess.”

“Thinking is good, most of the time at least. Too much can become a problem, though. Which kind is it?”

Dan smiled a little.

“Probably the problematic one, to be honest.”

“ Ah, man. Need some help with it?” they offered.

Dan shrugged, but didn't say anything. He just stared at the floor for a while.

“I'm bi,” he ended up blurting out, almost too afraid to look at Eidan’s reaction.

“Hey, that's fine by me,” they smiled.

Dan smiled as well, feeling a bit lighter.

“You're only the person I've told,” he admitted.

“Oh, okay. Sorry. Was that what was bothering you so much?”

“Yeah, partly. I just- I think my flatmate’s homophobic. And I've known him for years, he can be a real pain sometimes but, I don't know. I never even thought he could be? I just didn't thought of telling him I was bi because it never seemed relevant, I guess.”

“Yeah, I kinda know how that feels. I came out to my parents as aroace first, and they weren't exactly overjoyed but they were ok with it. I wanted to tell them I was nonbinary so bad after that but, man, I was scared. Turns out they're violently transphobic and didn't really want to hear what I had to say. And, it sucks yeah I'm not gonna lie. I haven't talked to them in years, actually. My sister is still living with them, she tells me they still read the critiques and whatnot though, so maybe that can change. I'm not just trying to lecture you there,” they laughed, “but sometimes cutting off people who are bad for you is necessary. Like, fuck it, why should I leave in fear of people's reactions to who I am? If they refuse to see I'm different from the image they had of me, screw that, I don't have time for that. I don't ask for people's opinions before dying my hair pink, I'm not going to ask it for something I can't change about myself.”

Dan nodded. “I see what you mean, but...”

“Shit’s scary, yeah. But you've got people who have your back as well, kid. You've got us, even if Phil seems like kind of an asshole.”

Dan frowned. “What? Phil's everything but an asshole, are we talking about the same person there?”

“What? I thought you guys hated each other!”

Dan laughed. “Wha- no! Not at all, we're friends, what are you talking about?”

“Are you telling me you're friends, and you're just that good at pretending to hate each other on stage?” Eidan raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I guess! I can't believe you thought we hated each other, that's the funniest thing,” he shook his head, still laughing.

“Everyone thinks that! You guys are weird. Damn, that means PJ might be right,” they added, barely audibly.

“What?”

“Nothing,” they answered quickly. “ Okay kid, I kinda have to go now, but don't hesitate to call if you need to, okay? And don't spend as much time thinking by yourself. Isn't always good for your mental health, you know.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Eidan. Really.”

“You're welcome! It's my job after all, I'm kind of everyone's big sibling here. Someone has to watch over you all,” they smiled.

“We do appreciate it. Thanks. See you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing.”

* * *

Dan had spent most of his time at the theatre, lately. He would arrive early and sit next to Louise, talking about anything that came to his mind, or spend some time with Riley. She was always scared of being late, so you could be sure she was there at least an hour before she was supposed to. Dan loved to listen to her talk about the things she was passionate about, and her pets. She absolutely loved cats, and Dan was pretty sure that if it was up to her, she'd try and rescue every single stray cat she met. She was already trying to help them as she could.

Phil had been busy with his brother coming to visit for the last few days, and even if he told him it really wasn't bothering him to keep up their rehearsing sessions, Dan had refused. It felt too much like intruding. Not that they were really rehearsing anymore anyway, they pretty much just spent a couple hours nerding out about pokemon or Muse.

Instead, Dan was hanging out with PJ for a bit, as he usually stayed a bit longer than the rest of the cast. He was a nice and funny guy, and he always had some awesome ideas to share, about anything.

He was starting to miss spending time with Phil though, and Christmas was getting close which most likely meant they wouldn't get to see each other for another two weeks. And, Dan knew it was stupid to be upset about something that insignificant -come on, they'd barely been talking for a few months- but it was bringing him down a little.

He was watching the others play from the audience's seats, at the back of the room, hidden in the shadow of the balcony above him. Eidan was playing, as well as Andy. He was really a good Oberon, now that he had grown into the role a little.

Someone sat next to him, making him jump a little.

“Hey,” Phil said. “What are you still doing here? PJ said he didn't need us anymore. Well, for today at least. Hopefully he'll still need us for the play.”

Dan smiled a bit. “I just like seeing people play. Won't be able to do that when we'll play for real, so I'm taking every chance I get.”

Phil nodded in silence, and crossed his arms behind his head. A moment passed.

“You've been here a lot recently,” he finally said. “Everything's ok?”

Dan shrugged.

“Yeah. Not really.” He sighed. “I don't really wanna be around Luka. You remember that time we fell asleep on my couch? Before I woke you up, he asked of I was gay, and I said no because I'm not gay I'm bi, but… fuck, the look on his face…”

“I'm sorry, Dan.” Phil put his arm around Dan's shoulders. “That really sucks. Are you okay? If there's a problem you can always call me. I'm not far from your apartment, I could be there in 5 minutes.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. “But it's okay don't worry, I'll manage. I'm just avoiding to be around too much, but today was the last rehearsal before a while so I'll have to find other excuses for that. That being said, I'm going to visit my parents in 3 days so, I should be able to handle it.”

“Yeah, that's good. Hey, do you want to do something tomorrow? Come on, I have an idea, it'll be fun.”

“Oh dear,” Dan laughed, “what do you have in mind? Should I be scared? Is it time to warn PJ he might have to look for another Lysander?”

“I'd be tempted to do that,” Phil admitted, “but he would probably have  a heart attack just at the thought of it so, let's forget this idea. But yesss come on! I promise you'll like it. Uh well, I hope you will anyway.”

“Okay then, alright. Am I allowed to know anything about this?”

“No! Where would be the fun in that? You don't have any phobias or any other thing you'd need to tell me before though, do you?”

Dan shook his head. “Nope, nothing.”

“Okay then, great. I'll pick you up at.. 1? You might want a scarf of something, it's probably going to be quite windy.”

“That's noted. I'd like to come back alive though.”

“That's noted. Alright,” he added with a light squeeze on Dan’s shoulder before taking back his arm. “I need to go make sure my brother didn't lock himself out. See you tomorrow?”

“Yep. See you tomorrow.”

* * *

“Dan, someone's at the door for you,” Lula shouted out, again, from the sofa.

Did he really just spend his time there? Dan rushed in from his bedroom, grabbing a coat and a scarf from the coathanger in the hallway.

“I'm going out, see you later.”

“Where you going?”

“I dunno, I guess I'll find out.”

He opened the door, meeting Phil who seemed just about to knock again, and stepped outside quickly.

“I know, I'm late, sorry -overestimated my ability to get ready at the last second apparently. Let's go?”

“Gladly,” Phil smiled, elegantly showing the way.

“How did you even get up here?” Dan asked as they walked. “You're not supposed to be able to enter. Man, the security sucks.”

“I have my ways,” he laughed.

“Okay, you know what? I don't think I want to know what that entails. Just… no. Where are we going, anyway?”

“There's a bit of travel to get there,” Phil admitted. “That's why I picked you up quite early, there's about an hour of train but trust me, it'll be worth it.”

“Don't worry,” Dan smiled. “I'm sure it will be.”

*

“Phil?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you honestly just take me to the beach?”

Thank fuck it wasn't made of sand, but of tiny stones and bigger rocks. Dan had a conflictual relationship with sand. Phil turned around, eyes scrunched up, a bright smile on his face and his tongue poking out of his teeth.

“Yes! It's great, isn't it?”

Dan burst out laughing. “It's December! What on earth do you want to do on a beach?”

“Come on, there's tons of things to do. Use your imagination!”

“I honestly have no idea. Nothing. You'll have to impress me with something because, truly, I'm lost.”

“Ah, come on.” Phil shook his head, falsely disappointed. “Let's go look for some cool rocks!”

He grabbed Dan's hand and pulled him.behind him, walking with determination.

“Woah, okay there,” Dan chuckled. “Calm down buddy, I'm sure the cool rocks can wait until we get to them.”

“You don't know, maybe they'll hear us coming and they'll run away. Don't underestimate the cool rocks, your poor mortal.”

“Alright, alright,” Dan managed to catch up to Phil and walk beside him. “Cool rocks it is then. Watch out, I'm going to find more that you.”

Phil's laugh echoed on the empty beach.

“You wish!”

*

Dan's hair was all curly and a bit rough from the sea spray. The wind was blowing quite strongly and Dan had lost his scarf at some point. Phil had given him his own, and tightened his coat around his neck. He had complained about his contact lenses being too annoying with the wind and switched to his glasses, and Dan might've been a bit distracted by how ridiculously good he looked.

They'd given up on looking through the rocks after an hour or two, and they were now comparing the ones they found. They had found a huge stone, flat enough for them to sit on, with the sun starting to set in the background.

“That's you,” Dan said, pointing at a tiny one in front of him. It was funny looking, with an odd shape that could've only been created by the ocean.

“Shut up,” Phil replied. “Look at this one I found, it's so smooth and perfectly round!”

“Yeah but it's just a boring grey. If you don't have something better, I'll have to just take the win.”

“Ha, you wish. What else d’you got, Howell?”

“Ooh, getting competitive are we? Well, get ready for this baby!” Dan exclaimed, lifting a red one with purple veins from where it was.

“Nice one,” Phil admitted, looking somewhat impressed. “But, honestly, I don't think you can compete with this beauty.”

He brought up a tiny, tiny rock from behind him and held it at eye-level. It was a black one, perfectly polished and catching the colours of the sunset, giving it pink and orange glints.

“Fuck off, that's not fair,” Dan complained. “How did you even find it? I hate you, get out of here.”

Phil laughed. “What a sore loser you are, who would've thought? But anyway, you looost! And as a winner, I'm demanding my prize, which is: let's grab something to eat, I am starving.”

“Phil, it's only 4.”

“The loser doesn't get a right to say when it's right to eat or not. C’mon, I know where they make the best sandwiches ever.”

“Alright, but don't make us miss the last train back. I really need a shower.”

“Yeah, you do. Your hair looks like seaweed,” Phil chuckled.

“Hey, don't insult my hair! What did I ever do to you?” Dan sighed.

“Stop complaining and start walking,” Phil said as he grabbed Dan's arm to make him get up faster.

“Alright, alright, I'm up, calm down for a second,” Dan laughed.

He let Phil pull him behind him.

*

Phil had fallen asleep on Dan's shoulder on the train home. He took the glasses off of his face and set them on the small table between them and the old lady, who was watching them oddly. Dan brushed the hair away from Phil's eyes, before giving her a sheepish smile. She smiled back a little before turning away.

Dan looked down at his fingers intertwined with Phil's for a moment, their hands resting between them, and turned to look out the window, lightly resting his cheek on Phil's hair. He couldn't believe he had insisted to have the seat by the window, and that he fell asleep about five minutes after the train left. This guy.

Too bad for pretending to be straight. But maybe he didn't want to anymore.

* * *

When Dan walked out of the train, two days later, he was barely able to take a few steps before being spotted by his parents.

“Dan! Over here!”

He looked around for a couple seconds until he saw them coming his way.

“Hi mum, hi dad.”

“How was the ride honey? Come on, let's go, we have a lot of things to set up!”

Dan smiled at his mum's excitement. Truly, it would be just like it was each year, spending Christmas together with a few close family friends, and then having a big reunion for New Year's Eve. Just like every year since Dan could remember it.

*

For a big reunion, it was a big one. Dan didn't count, but there were easily about 40 people, maybe more. Dan's dad and his uncle Robert were taking care of the barbecue in front of the house, like always. Robert’s wife, Tina, was doing most of the work though, every time they turned away, making sure nothing was burning. Where would anyone be without aunt Tina, honestly. It was starting to get late, maybe about 11:30, and Dan was getting a little bit bored. He wasn't one for big receptions, and there was only so much small talk he could participate in before feeling like his head was going to explode. He could use another drink, but he didn't want to get drunk either, so he was going slowly on that side. Someone had to be looking after the kids running around in the garden, and the other adults were usually busy with something.

Dan walked in the back garden and sat on the edge on a small wall. He closed his eyes for a minute and enjoyed the silence. The kids had been dragged inside because it was getting too cold for them to stay outside too long with risking pneumonia or something. Even he was starting to feel the cold air giving him chills. He was about to walk back inside when his phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dan!” Phil exclaimed. The background was loud, almost too loud for Dan to be able to hear him correctly.

“Yeah that's me,” he chuckled. “Need something?”

“Nah, just wanted to talk to you.”

The background noise was a little more quiet now. He probably walked a bit further. His words were slurred.

“You're drunk, aren't you?” Dan asked.

“Not drunk, a little tipsy maybe. Still got my head clear though.”

Dan sat back, bringing a leg close to his chest.

“Why did you call then? You're with your family, you keep telling me how you never get to see them. Miss me already?” He joked.

“I know you're laughing at me,” Phil replied, “but… kinda.”

“Dan, get back inside, it's almost time!” someone yelled. Dan couldn't tell who exactly.

He covered the mic with a hand before yelling back. “Two minutes! Sorry,” he added to Phil. “What were you saying?”

“I don't know,” he laughed. “Maybe I am a bit drunk after all. You should go back to them though, they're right.”

“Yeah, you too.” A few seconds of silence went by, without any of them seeming to move. “But I don't want to,” Dan finally said.

“Yeah. Me neither.”

“Dan!” That was most certainly uncle Robert this time. Dan didn't bother to answer. They were probably all gathered around the TV to watch the countdown. There was a big noise, coming from inside the house and from Phil's side.

“It's time, apparently,” Dan remarked.

 _“TEN!”_  they yelled inside. Dan didn't move.

“Yeah. Listen, Dan? I wanted to tell you something.”

_“NINE!”_

“Will it be something you remember tomorrow or should we avoid having this discussion now?”

_“EIGHT!”_

“No,” Phil was smiling, he could hear it. “I swear I'm not that drunk.”

_“SEVEN!”_

“What is it, then?”

_“SIX!”_

“Ah, man… okay, here comes.” Phil took a deep breath.

_“FIVE!”_

“I really like you, Dan. Like, like you. God, I sound like a teenager,” he sighed.

Dan laughed.

_“FOUR!”_

“You do sound like a teenager,” he admitted. “But…”

_“THREE!”_

“I really like you too. I mean, not that that was any secret, really.”

Phil laughed, sounding a little relieved.

_“TWO!”_

“We were both pretty oblivious, I guess.”

_“ONE!”_

“Yeah,” Dan smiled. “Not that there's anything wrong with that.”

_“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!”_

“Happy new year, Dan.”

“Happy new year. And, uh, yeah. I kinda miss you too.”

“I'll see you when you get back,” Phil smiled. “Have a goodnight.”

“Yeah. You too.”

* * *

“Luka!” Dan called out from the kitchen. “I’m making lunch, what do you want?”

He waited a few moments for an answer before walking out of the room and in the living room. He was still sat on the couch, phone in hand.

“Luka?”

“You got a text,” he said nonchalantly.

Dan felt the ice cage of fear closing around his heart when he realized it was his phone that Luka was holding.

“Didn't know you read my texts now,” he replied as calmly as he could manage.

“Didn't know you had a  _boyfriend_.”

Luka spat the word as if it burned him, and Dan had to summon all his courage to not take a step back. The silent threat was so strong it was giving him chills.

“Luk-”

“Get out of here.” He stood up suddenly. “We've been friends for years, so I'm going to assume playing characters has messed with your brain a bit. But get the hell out of here.”

Dan took a shaky breath in. “Give me back my phone.”

Luka handed it to him without another word, and walked past him without forgetting to bump into him as soon as he took it. Dan gave up on resisting his flight instinct. He grabbed his coat and was out of the door in under a minute. He had his phone ringing against his ears before he had even made it down the stairs.

“Dan?”

“Phil, can you… can you come pick me up, please?”

His voice was wavering, and he was so cold.

“Is everything alright?” Phil asked, sounding concerned.

“No. I'll explain, just… please.”

“I'll be here in five.”

“Thank you.”

*

Dan jumped into the car as soon as Phil pulled over.

“Hey. Are you okay?” Phil's eyebrows were furrowed in worry.

“I'll live,” Dan smiled weakly.

“Let’s go home, yeah? You can tell me what happened later. You haven't eaten yet, did you?” Dan shook his head. “Alright, we'll do that first, then. How does that sound?”

“Good, okay. Let's do that.”

Phil put his hand on Dan's and gave it a reassuring squeeze, before starting the car again.

*

The first thing that Dan noticed when he entered Phil's apartment was the Muse poster he gave him for his birthday.

“You put it up,” he said with a hint of amazement.

“Of course I did,” Phil smiled. “I love it, why wouldn't I? Come on, let's get something to eat, I'm starving.”

After having some lunch, they were both cuddling on Phil's couch without saying anything.

“Luka kicked me out,” Dan said, breaking the silence. Phil's hand stopped playing with his hair for a second. “He saw the text you sent me, and told me to get the hell out. I don't really know what to do, now,” he admitted.

“You can always stay here for a while,” Phil suggested. “If you want to, I mean. Until you find something else. Do you want me to call PJ and tell him we won't be at rehearsal today?”

“No,” Dan shook his head strongly. “I want to go, we only have a month left. And, you know what? Fuck Luka. I wanted to move out anyway, I was just waiting to have a backup plan. So, fuck him. If he wants to throw out years of friendship just because I have a goddamn boyfriend, then good for him, I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore.”

“Are you sure you want to go? PJ won't mind if I tell him what happened.”

“No, no I'm sure. Thank you, though,” Dan said, taking Phil's hand in his.

Phil buried his head in Dan's curls and smiled.

“My pleasure, love.”

“Come on,” Dan spoke up after a few minutes. “Let's go make this play super not-straight.”

Phil's laugh echoed in the room.

“That I can do.”

* * *

They had barely made it to the theatre before Dan was assailed by questions. First, it was Louise who was worried to find him a bit pale -even more than usual. Then it had been Riley, then Andy, Eidan. By the time it came to PJ, Dan had lost just about every bit of patience he had left.

“Dan, what are you doing?” PJ exclaimed, cutting Phil in the middle of his line. “We've done this scene  _yesterday_ , and you were great! What the hell happened? You're not even focused!”

Dan felt the tips of his ears burn in embarrassment.

“I'm sorry.”

Phil walked to the front of the stage. “Can I talk to you for a sec, PJ?”

Dan shot him a thankful look when he walked past him, and Phil smiled a bit in encouragement. PJ nodded and walked with him to the back of the audience.

Riley walked up to him, and Eidan (who was watching from a distance) joined in.

“What's going on, kid?” Eidan asked, looking concerned.

“Is something wrong?” Riley spoke up. “Do we need to hire a hitman, or something?”

That had the merit to make him smile a little.

“My flatmate found out I was bi, in short, and he kicked me out.”

The look on their faces went from concern to a strange mix of worry and anger.

“Are you okay? D’you have somewhere to stay?” Riley made sure.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dan said quickly to reassure them both. “Phil's letting me stay at his place, he doesn't live far from my apartment so it's easier.”

“You know you can call us if you need anything,” Eidan said again. “We're family.”

“I know,” Dan smiled. “Thank you.”

Phil came back on stage and nodded in his direction, followed by PJ who sat back in his seat.

“Alright. Let's try this one more time before doing something else. Screw the schedule.”

***

Dan and Phil had both agreed that the best idea was to get Dan's stuff while Luka was out at his classes, to avoid any bad encounter. Dan especially was nervous, but he knew that had to be done and now was probably the best they could do.

They were almost done, Phil was taking the last box of Dan's clothes to the car downstairs. Dan was still in the apartment, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything, when he heard someone opening the door.

“Dan? What are you doing here?”

He turned around to see Luka standing in the hallway and staring at him.

“You were right, that was long overdue. I'm getting the hell out of here.”

While he was talking, he sent a quick text to Phil because, well, he was a bit scared of Luka’s reaction. He wasn't exactly known to be the calmest guy around.

_luka’s here. i'll get downstairs in a minute_

“Wait, what does that mean?” Luka asked.

“If you have a problem with me now that I have a boyfriend even though we've known each other for like, 6 years, I don't want to stay here. And since you don't want me here either, seems like we've come to an agreement.”

Dan's phone vibrated in his hand.

_Do you want me to come? Are you okay?_

_i'm fine dw and no its ok i'll leave asap_

“Bye, Luka. Oh, and by the way, I'm bi. Not gay. Bye.”

He left quickly, making sure to close the door behind him without waiting to see Luka’s reaction. His heart was racing and fucking hell, who knew getting back his belongings and leaving would be so stressful?

He almost ran down the stairs to Phil's car, and got inside.

“How did it go?” Phil asked, from the next seat.

“Alright, kinda told him to fuck off and ran out,” Dan said, catching his breath. “So uh, I guess I shouldn't count on him coming to the play,” he chuckled a little.

“Ah, whatever trevor. We don't need him anyway, right? Do you know who'll come see you, by the way?”

“Okay first of all did you really just say “whatever trevor” because I'm sorry but I have to call this quit now.” Dan said very seriously. Phil laughed. “But uh not really, my parents are coming to the premiere, and probably a few friends on another night if they don't forget. You?”

“Same, my parents and brother are coming to the premiere, not sure about the rest. Guess we'll see, anyway. Are you good to go?” Phil asked.

“Yeah, let's go home.”

* * *

Phil was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and Dan was mindlessly switching between different TV programs, not seeming to be able to decide on anything to watch, when his phone rang. He quickly glanced at the name displayed on the screen before muting the TV and picking up.

“Hey mum.”

“Dan! I've tried to call you yesterday, you never answered! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grimaced. “I'm sorry, my phone ran out of battery during rehearsal -you know we're staying late most days- and i didn't see you had called before much later. I wanted to call you back but I forgot, sorry.”

“I called Luka to ask if he knew where you were, and he said he hadn't seen you in days, a week, even. What are you not telling me?”

Her tone was accusatory, and Dan felt his throat tighten. Phil poked his head through the kitchen door, raising an eyebrow in interrogation.

“Yeah, uh, we both decided it was better if i moved out. For… reasons. I forgot to talk to you about that.”

“Oh. Is everything alright? Where are you staying then?”

Dan felt Phil sit on the couch next to him, and shot him a panicked look. Phil took the hand that wasn't busy with the phone and held it in both of his.

“Dan, honey, are you there?”

Dan closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

“My boyfriend. I'm staying with my boyfriend.”

The words seemed to hang in the air in front of him.

Too bad for pretending to be straight. But maybe he didn't want to anymore.

“Well, when will I get to meet this lovely young man?”

He opened his eyes, a few tears starting to form already and menacing to slip away. He let out a chuckle.

“I don't know. Maybe after the play.”

“I am looking forward to that, then. And I'm glad you're doing okay, Dan. Says hi for me, alright? I have to go, but I love you.”

“Love you too, mum.”

He hung up and wiped his eyes on his sleeve before looking at Phil again.

“My mum says hi,” he managed to say before bursting into tears.

Keeping any kind of composure was apparently not going to happen. Phil's arms were wrapped around him, and he let him cry against his chest for a while, murmuring soothing nonsense until he calmed down.

“Well, that's one thing done then.” Phil said. “I'm happy that went well.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Dan paused for a second. “Thank you. For being here, I mean. And for being awesome.”

Phil's laugh sounded deeper with Dan's head still close to his chest.

“My very pleasure, dear. Always a privilege to be awesome when you're around.”

* * *

To say that Dan was nervous would be an understatement. Louise had spent easily an hour perfecting his makeup, making sure it was exactly what they'd agreed on. Dan had always loved this part, even if the feeling of wearing mascara and eyeliner and highlighter was always a little bit odd, he loved seeing how makeup enhanced some of his features more than others.

He was in costume, walking to the backroom, where the others were. The curtains were closed, and people hadn't started coming in yet. In a few minutes, they would all have to be ready to go. With each step he took, the knot in his stomach was getting impossibly tighter. If he didn't know better, he would've thought he was going to be sick.

He pushed open the door, and everyone stood up, ready to leave and join the wings.

It was almost time.

Phil walked up to him, and gave him a quick hug.

“If you mess up my costume, Louise is going to kill both of us,” Dan remarked.

Phil chuckled and took a step back. “I know.”

They followed the rest of the cast, holding hands. Everyone was whispering “merde” to each other when they walked by someone. Dan had always found it an interesting tradition, even if he wasn't quite sure where it came from.

From the wings, they could hear the buzzing of the people starting to fill in the room. The first actors were already on stage, ready to play as soon as the curtains opened. Dan held Phil's hand tighter.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Love you too,” Phil answered as quietly.

The curtains opened.

* * *

The response had been overwhelmingly positive. Dan could feel the adrenaline still rushing in his veins when they all went offstage and he more or less threw himself at Phil as soon as they were out of view from the audience. Phil just laughed and took a few steps back to stabilize them.

“We did it, I can't believe we did it,” Dan rambled.

“You were great, love. We all did great.”

“I can't believe PJ was right!” Eidan exclaimed when they walked past them. “Are you guys together?”

“Yeah,” Phil smiled. “Sorry for not telling you earlier but, you know.”

“What do you mean, PJ was right?” Dan asked curiously.

Eidan shrugged. “First time he saw you play, he said you'd end up dating. I didn't believe him but, man, he saw right through you both.”

They all laughed.

“For real, though,” they added. “I'm glad you're happy. You both deserve it.”

“Thanks, Eidan,” Dan smiled.

“But we have a party to attend to, so both of you go get changed.”

“Yes, Eidaaan,” Phil said.

They shook their head and walked away.

“They're right, though. We do need to go.” Dan pointed out.

“I know. I'll see you later,” Phil answered, giving him a peck on the cheek.

*

Dan walked out of his room a couple moments later, in fresh clothes and without makeup. He would've kept it on, honestly, but it wasn't looking that good anymore so he decided he was better without it.

He walked to the big room where everyone would be. He spotted a couple critiques in a corner, but didn't get much time to look through the people here before he was assailed by people congratulating him. He smiled and nodded and said thank you for a while before he saw a way to escape. He practically ran towards Riley as soon as he saw her.

“Thank god you're here,” he said. “Socializing isn't my thing, why is everyone talking to me?”

“Because you're a star,” she laughed. “A few people noticed you up there. Also, you and Phil are dating apparently?”

Dan sighed. “Is this really all that everyone is going to talk about?” he falsely complained. “Don't you have anything else more interesting to discuss?”

She laughed again and patted his shoulder. “Sorry dude, I think that's the most interesting thing to have happen lately.”

“I hate you,” he declared.

“You wish you did,” she shook her head with a smile. “Go talk to people now, shoo.”

“Yes mum,” he rolled his eyes with a smirk as he walked away.

He navigated his way through the crowd to the table with drinks, and picked up a red cocktail.

“There you are.”

He looked over to see Phil trying to get to him. He laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer.

“Hello there,” he said.

Phil smiled and took a drink. “How are you doing so far?”

“Why are there so many people? That's all your fault because you're ridiculously good on stage. See what i go through because of you?”

Phil laughed loudly, and a few heads turned to see what was going on.

“You're adorable,” he said, ruffling his hair and pretending not to hear Dan's protestations. “My mum's over here, do you wanna say hi?”

“Oh god no, I'm not ready for that, she's going to hate me.”

“Of course not, what are you talking about? She'll say you're “a lovely and talented young man” and I bet she's going to compliment you more than me.”

Dan sighed dramatically. “If she's anything like you, I guess I can manage.”

“Well said,” Phil smiled. He took Dan's hand and pulled him with him. “Come on, let's go -oh, who is she talking to?”

“Well, that would seem to be  _my_ mum,” Dan commented. “Guess you're meeting her now as well. How the hell did they manage to find each other?”

“I have no idea,” Phil shook his head. “But I supposed we're going to find out.”

They walked up to them, and both exclaimed at the same time. “There you are!”

Dan laughed. “Hi mum, hi Mrs. Lester.”

“Oh please, call me Katherine. I'm very glad to meet you, Dan,” she said, giving him a quick hug. “Phil has told me a lot about you?”

“Really?” Dan asked, looking over to Phil, who had turned slightly pink. “Aww you had a crush on me, how sweet.”

“Shut up,” Phil bumped his shoulder, and Dan laughed.

“Don't worry dear,” Dan's mum spoke up. “He's been talking to me about you for years, he was really looking up to you when he started to play.”

Dan felt his whole face heat up and he hid behind his hands.

“Muuuum, you can't say that!” he whined.

“Aww, you were a fan,” Phil mocked him. “How sweet.”

“Shut up. I hate you.”

He laughed and put an arm around his shoulder. “Sure you do.”

Too bad for pretending to be straight. But maybe he didn't have to anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!  
> You can come talk to me on tumblr @ wavydanrises


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